THE POLICYHOLDER'S ADVOCATE®
This Property Insurance Coverage Blog set record visits last month. Thank you! I noticed a significant drop as the Easter weekend started. The Florida legislature took a well deserved breather last week as well. So, it seems like it is a good time to get caught back up.…
Continue Reading Catching Up on Insurance Coverage Posts and Florida Insurance Politics
Insurance advertisements have never been more entertaining. While perusing the net for information regarding Safeco and Liberty Mutual, I came across a number of insurance company television advertisements. We often use ad firms to find and pull the ads of some of our opponent insurers. It can be done cheaply through YouTube.…
Allstate Insurance Company lost a bench trial involving the claims practices employed in its Claims Core Process Redesign program first implemented in the 1990’s. The findings by the trial court are significant because the Court indicated that those claims practices violate standards which are routinely violative of unfair trade and claims practices in most of the states. The findings indicate these were done as a general business practice.…
Continue Reading Allstate Loses Claims Core Process Redesign Trial
Suppose you knew that your insurance company had started a new claims practice program called “Quantum Leap” to increase corporate practices by making certain no claim was overpaid—would you buy that insurance? Would you feel peace of mine if you knew that secret program was in place and had such a claims philosophy?…
Consumer Reports published an article this month revealing the results of its survey of customer satisfaction with homeowner’s insurance and tips on coverage and exclusions to be aware of when purchasing insurance for your home.…
I was thinking about the question of property insurance trade associations and lobbying while reading today’s St. Petersburg Times article, At what Cost Care? The article was a question and answer discussion with Wendell Potter, who was a public relations executive for two major health insurers. Potter has given an inside view into the political and social power of the health insurance industry in a manner most Americans probably deplore. I wonder if property insurers are different? I doubt it.…
“How did you come up with that amount for my (or my client’s) claim?” I was thinking of that question while taking the deposition of an Allstate corporate representative in an Indiana claims practice case, and how an insurance adjuster should honestly answer it. It is the same question millions of other policyholders, public adjusters, and attorneys ask insurance company representatives every day.
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Continue Reading The Obligation of Good Faith Claims Handling and Policyholders’ Perceptions of Why it Does Not Happen
An attorney from another law firm asked me whether an insurer is obligated to investigate facts supporting coverage in a property insurance coverage dispute. It is common for colleagues to share information and help when they can. It seems that the more one shares, the more one receives –usually with compound interest.…
Continue Reading Property Insurers Have An Obligation To Investigate All Facts Supporting Coverage
Why are major insurance companies selling insurance with "feel good" messages rather than explaining how many different types of accidents and catastrophes they will not cover? If they were honest, wouldn’t they explain to customers what is not covered before the purchase? Sandy Burnette wrote a comment to "Is the State Farm Policy Really Worth Anything?" As I indicated in yesterday’s "Some Public Adjuster and Insurance Attorney Concerns and My Blogging Mistakes," he made a valid criticism which I corrected and appreciate him calling to my attention.…
David Berardinelli made a presentation at NAPIA‘s Convention on Friday. His topic, “From ‘Good Hands’ to Boxing Gloves: How Allstate Changed Casualty Insurance in America,” was an excellent and updated version of a speech I have seen before. Many of his points are important to understanding why the claims culture has changed so much over the past twenty years. Sadly, part of the story he tells reflects the greed of some executives in the financial industry.
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Continue Reading David Berardinelli’s Fight Against Allstate’s Claims Culture
